Friday, July 1, 2011

(The Prison in the Castle) سجن القلعة

English Translation

The devotees gathered in the castle’s prison[1]
The devotees gathered in Bab Al-Khalq[2]
And the sun is a chant, rising from the prison cells
And Egypt is a chant, rising from the throat
The devotees gathered in the cell
No matter the length of imprisonment; no matter the oppression
No matter the despotism of the imprisoner
Who could ever dare imprison Egypt?
They gathered with devotion, a fire in their blood
A fire that burns hunger, tears and torment
A fire that burns when the feet are clinched
When the hands boil from picking up the meat
And the meat is scattered in the Sinai sand[3]
And the liar is constraining our arms
The enemies foot is stabbing my sand’s flesh
The liar landed informants at my door
And the informants let loose their hungered vicious dogs
They gather the devotees to the prison cell
Egypt is the morning the frees us to the roads
Egypt is the tears; Egypt is the tunes and the mud
Egypt is the suns emerging from the prison cells
Emerging and growing orchards in our blood
Egypt is the garden, but who will pick its fruit?
Egypt is the garden to those who will raise their swords
No matter the length of imprisonment; no matter the oppression
No matter the despotism of the imprisoner
Who could ever dare imprison Egypt?

[1] During Anwar El Sadat’s presidency, the underground room in the citadel of Saladin in Egypt was turned into a political prison.
[2] A Court that dealt with Political Prisoners
[3] Referring to the’73 war between Egypt and Israel over Sinai.